Belt-shipper



F. K. HENDRICKSON. BELT SHIPPER.

- APPLICATION FILED 1m. 2. 1920 ,365,828, Patented Jan. 18, 1921.

3 SHEETS-SHEET I.

Ryan-19oz F. K. HEN-DRICKSON. BELT SHIPPER. APPLICATION FILED IAN.2. 1920.

1,365,828. I Patented Jam. 18, 1921.

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F. K. HENDRICKSON.

BELT SHIPPER.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 2. I920.

Patented Jan. 18, 1921.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRED K. HENDRICKSON, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO REED- PRENTICE COMPANY, OF .WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

BELT-SKIPPER.

Application filed January 2, 1920.

T 0 all whom it may concern Be it known that I, Flinn K. I'IENDRICK- soN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Worcester, in the county of Worcester and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Belt-Shipper, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a belt shifting device of the type in which the continued rotation of a shaft constantly in one direction will first operate one belt shipping loop and then the other to ship the belt in the way in which it would be shipped by hand, and in which the reverse motion is accomplished in the same way by turning the shaft in the other direction.

The principal objects of the invention are to provide a simple working mechanism for this purpose which will be positive in action and which will be positively prevented from operation at the wrong time;

and to provide improved construction and combinations of parts for efi'ectingthis pur pose. The invention also involves improvements in details of construction as will appear.

Reference is to behad to the accompany in drawings, in which- Tigure 1 is a front elevation of the head stock of a lathe and a counter shaft with a preferred form of this invention applied thereto;

Fig. 2 is an end viewof the samewith parts in section Fig. 3 is a plan of the lower shipper mechanism with the cover removed to show interior construction and parts in section;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3; i

Fig. 5 's aplan of the upper shipper mechanism, and a Fig. 6 is a plan of the lower shipper mechanism Figsfo andGshoWing thetwo lined up. with each other to illustrate their relative positions. a

In general, it may be said that I have shown two shipper mechanisms, a lower one and an 11 per one. They are both operatedby a ban wheel 10, preferablylocated on the lower mechanism. This hand wheel is mounted on a shaft 11, constituting a material part of the lower-shifter mechanism, and is connected directly with a flexible shaft 12, 13. Thisisalso connected directly with a shaft 11 on the upper shifter mecha- Specification of Letters Patent.

PatentedIJanJS, 1921. Serial No. 348,951.

continuous rotation for intermittently rotating a parallel shaft 16 supported in the same casing. The means for rotating the latter intermittently is shown in the form of the well known Geneva cross. In other words, on the shaft 11 is fixed a plate 17,

hi'iving two pins 18 and 19 thereon diametrically opposite and with their axes paraL lel with the shaft. It is also provided, integrally or otherwise fixedly connected therewith, with a double segmental disk 20.

On the shaft 16 is fixed a cross 21 consisting of a disk having two crossing grooves 22 for receiving the pins 18 and 19 alter nately. This cross 21 also has four arcuate segmental surfacedepressions 23 fitting the exterior of the segmental member 20. The operation of this cross will be understood readily. When the shaft 11 is rotating in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 3, the pin 18 is just about to enter one of the grooves 22, and its further revolution from the point shown will result in the pin 18 traveling up the groove 92 and forcing-the cross 21to rotate in the direction of its arrow with a constantly accelerated. motion. lVhent-he pin 18 gets to the center, its continued revolution will cause it to start to move outwardly in the same groove 22, and the rotation of the cross 21 will continue with a constantly decreased motion until it leaves said groove, which it will do when in the position shown in Fig. 6. The result is that the rotation of the shaft 11 through a quarter of a revolution causes the rotation of the shaft 16 through a quarter of a revolution, shaft 16 then stopping, although the shaft 11 continues its rotation.

The rotation of the shaft 16, assuming that the shaft 11 is rotated at constant speed as is desired, starts slowly and ends guide bars of the belt shifter.

slowly, but is rapid at what may be called the center of its quarter revolution. The change in each direction is gradual.

As soon as the pin 18 leaves the groove 22, the segmental disk 20 shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3, will have come into registration with the next segmental surface 23 at the position indicated in Fig. 6 to positively hold the disk 21 against further rotation. It keeps its control over the same until the pin 19 moves from the point indicated in Fig. 6 to the point at which the pin 18 is shown in Fig. 3.

'The rotation of the shaft 16 through a quarter of a revolution in this manner acts through a gear or pinion 25 l xed on the shaft 16 to operate a rack 26 with which its teeth mesh. This rack will move positively in guides 24 provided for it at the exact speed of the pitch line of the gear On this rack at its end, is a stud 27 on which is mounted a pinion 28, free to rotate thereon. This pinion, the 'efore moves bodily with the rack at the speed thereof. At

the starting point, it meshes with one end of a rack 29, which is cut on one of the parallel Guided on these rods 30 is a frame 31 carrying the belt shifting loop 32. Also carried by this frame, there is another rack 83 slidable parallel with the two racks above mentioned. and meshing with the pinion 28. In the position shown in Fig. 3, the pinion is at the left end of the rack 29 but at the right end of the rack 33.

It will beobserved that the pinion, moving along with the rack 26 and meshing with the rack 29, will slide the rack 33 along with it, but at twice the speed of the slide 26. It will be seen therefore that with a comparatively small gear 23, a comparatively wide range of motion can be secured for the loop 32.

a The above description applies directly to the lower belt shifter, but it applies equally to the upper one, except that there is no separate hand wheel at the top. The flexible shaft 12, 1.3 directly and positively connects the two shafts 11 of the two shipping mechanisms.

The operation of the device will be understood readily. When the operator desires to start the belt from the position shown in full lines in Figs. 5 and 6, to decrease the speed of the machine being driven, he turns the hand wheel 10 at as nearly constant speed as possible. Now, the effect of this on the lower shipper, is to turn the shaft 11 a quarter of a revolution while one disk segment 20 holds the cross 21 and the lower shaft 16 stationary. At the beginning of this period, the pin 18 at the top enters the cross groove 22 and turns the upper shaft 16thereby, an eighth of arevolution while the pin is moving to the center of the cross, and then another eighth of a revolnthm while the pin is moving outwardly from the center along the same groove. The first motion is gradually accelerated while the second gradually decreases. This shifts the upper belt guiding loop which I will. designate as 42, from the position shown in full. lines to a position half way between that and the position shown in dotted lines, and carries the belt from the largest step of the cone at the top to the intermediate one. At this instant, the pin 18 emerges from the groo'wv 22 and the shaft 16 at the top is locked in fixed position throughout the next quarter of a revolution.

During the above mentioned motion, the pin 19 at the bottom has moved from the position shown in Fig. 5 to the position corresponding to that shown in Fig. 3, and the shaft 16 at the bottom has been idle, while the loop 32 has remained in the por-siiion shown. Now, just as the pin 18 at the top emerges from its groove 22, the pin 18 at the bottom will enter its groove 22 and at the same instant the segmental dish 20 at the bottom will unlock the shaft 16. lo the continued rotation of the hand wheel without stopping, during the second quarter will move the lower belt shifting loop 12 from the position shown to a position in registration with the intermediate step of the cone pulley. The belt is now, by a halt revolution of the hand wheel 10, entirely shifted from the high speed end of the cones to the intermediate speed. If it is the desire to shift it clear down to the lowest speed, the hand wheel will not be stopped but will be continued in rotation througlr out another half revolution in which case, it will shift the belt one more step in the same manner to the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 5. The reverse of this operation, the shifting of the belt upwardly on the upper cone to increase the speed of the machine, takes place by turning the hand wheel in the opposite direction, and in that case,

- the lower shipper will operate first and the upper one afterward.

it will be seen therefore that the operation of shifting the belt requires only the turning of the hand wheel at an approximately uniform speed through a half revolution for each shift, and that the operator need control it only to the extent of turning it in a substantially uniform manner and stopping the operation when the belt is entirely shifted; also that the reverse shift is accomplished in the same opposite and natural manner. The mechanism is of a comparatively simple character and is positive in operation and the parts are positively locked against action that would permit of the two shifting operations being performed at once, therefore affording absolute safety against injury to the belt by an inexperienced or careless operator.

Although I have illustrated and described only a single form of the invention and shown it as applied in one way only, I am aware of the fact that many modifications can be made therein by any person skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention as expressed in the claims. Therefore, I do not wish to be limited to all the details of construction herein shown and described, but what I do claim is 1. In a belt shipper, the combination of a belt-shifting loop provided with a rack, a member slidable parallel to said loop and also provided with a rack, a pinion freely journaled in the end of said member and in mesh with the said rack of the loop, a fixed rack with which said pinion also meshes, and means to slide said member for a predetermined distance and then hold it stationary.

2. In a belt shipper, the combination of a fixed guide provided with a rack, a beltshifting loop slidable on said guide and also provided with a rack, a member slidable between said racks, a pinion carried by said member and in mesh with both of said racks, and means to move said member for a predetermined distance and then hold it stationary.

3. In a belt shipper, the combination of a fixed rack, a belt-shifting loop provided with a rack, a slide carrying a pinion in mesh with both said racks, rack teeth on said slide, a gear in mesh with said teeth, and a Geneva cross mechanism for intermittently rotating said gear and then holding against rotation.

4:. In a belt shipper, the combination with a slidable belt shipping loop having a rack movable therewith, oi? an independently re eiprocable slide, and means whereby the motion of the slide will be transmitted to said rack to move the loop twice as far as the slide moves.

5. In a belt shipper, the combination with a slidable belt shipping loop having a rack movable therewith, of an independently reciprocable slide, a fixed rack, and a pinion on the slide meshing with both racks for op erating the loop.

6. In a belt shipper, the combination with a slidable belt shipping loop, of an independently reoiproeable slide having means for operating the loop and provided with a rack, an intermittently operating gear meshing with the rack for operating the loop, means for turning the gear positively and means for positively holding the gear against rotation after it has turned through a predetermined part of a revolution.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto affixed my si nature.

- Finn) K. HENDRIOKSON. 

